


To Live, and Other Things We All Must Do

by anotherbuskitten



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Peter Pan - J. M. Barrie
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 17:40:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16068059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anotherbuskitten/pseuds/anotherbuskitten
Summary: It wasn't that they (believed in magic) (needed friends) (wanted to leave) it was just that they were (lonely) (lonely) (lonely) but they knew that (he was unwanted) (magic wasn't real) (fairies were evil). But some children just grow up too fast.





	To Live, and Other Things We All Must Do

Harry Potter had never read Peter Pan, of course, but if he had done he might have dreamt of going away to Neverland. Of course, if he had known the story he would have assumed that the reason Peter never came to fly him away – because even with Uncle Vernon’s bellowing Harry could never quite convince himself that magic wasn’t real – the real reason was that he didn’t have a window to leave open. He couldn’t even push the limits and leave his door open, because the locks were on the other side.

Harry couldn’t dream that he was secretly an orphan because that was no secret at all. He couldn’t dream that he had a secret destiny waiting in the shadows because he hadn’t read any children’s books outside of the ones in the classroom; Harry Potter never knew about genres. Harry dreamt of a long-lost relative coming to take him away but he never really believed it. Nobody wanted Harry.

 

Hermione Granger had read Peter Pan, of course, because Hermione had read every book available to her three times over but even though she liked the storybooks she felt that she should be reading non-fiction so that she could know more than everyone else. She might always be behind in friends and social graces but her grades would keep her flying.

Anyway Hermione didn’t dream of being Wendy Darling because what girl wanted a life of only boys, who all expected her to take care of them?

 

Ron Weasley never read any muggle books but he heard the warnings from his parents about leaving the windows open at night. And if there ever was a night or two where it was left open then it was only because the twins were bored and their little brother wasn’t any fun and if the window stayed open the next night it was only because Ron was curious as to what he didn’t have that made Pan leave him alone like he wasn’t good enough to be a lost boy.

But Ron was already used to being the last son, least son, so he got used to closing the window again even though when his mum caught him it was the first time she’d spent time alone with him all year.


End file.
